2010-2011College Football SeasonGame Of The Week

Preview: Oregon State vs. TCU

CFP Staff
August 30, 2010

This is one of four games on this week's schedule pit teams from the top 25 of the CCR Top 120 against each other. The 3rd ranked TCU Horned Frogs face No. 17 Oregon State at Cowboys Stadium at Arlington

The computer forecasts the Horned Frogs to run the table on their 12 opponents this season and taps them as 10.03-point favorites over the Beavers. TCU went through the 2009 campaign unbeaten and earned its first-ever BCS bowl bid, but a 17-10 Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State was a disappointing finish and ended a 14-game winning streak.

Oregon State is projected to go 9-3 overall and once again take second in the PAC-10 with an 8-1 conference record. The only forecasted conference loss is in the final game of the regular season when Oregon State is picked to lose at home to rival Oregon by a scant 0.10 points. Last year's 4th quarter Oregon comeback halted the Beavers' bid to clinch their first berth in the Rose Bowl since the 1964 season.

TCU's key departure from last year is DE Jerry Hughes, a CFP and FWAA All-American. Hughes anchored a defense that was ranked first overall. The Horned Frogs were second nationally against the run and 6th against the pass. TCU was also 6th in scoring defense.

Oregon State has to replace QB Sean Canfield who completed 67.9 percent of his passes a year ago for 3,271 yards, 21 TD's and 7 INT's. But the stars of Oregon State's offense are the Rodgers brothers - senior flanker James and junior RB Jacquizz. James has amassed 5,007 career all-purpose yards in 3 seasons after tacking on 2,328 in 2009. His totals from last year include 840 yards on kickoff returns, 1,034 receiving, 303 rushing and 151 returning punts. Jacquizz was 11th nationally in rushing in 2009 with 1,440 yards to bring his 2-year career total to 2,693.

TCU fans are very familiar with their quarterback. This will be senior Andy Dalton's 4th year under center after redshirting his freshman season. Dalton has led the Horned Frogs to 29 wins, tying the legendary "Slingin" Sammy Baugh. He is the school's alltime leader in passing yards with 7,457. His top four receivers from 2009 are back in the fold, too.

Since his arrival in 2001, Gary Patterson has coached TCU to an 85-28 record and three conference championships - 2002 in CUSA; 2005 and 2009 in the Mountain West. His teams have won at least 10 games in six different seasons, and no fewer than 11 in four of the last five seasons.

Mike Riley is his 8th year as head coach at Oregon State since returning to Corvallis in 2003. Riley was the OSU coach in 1997 and 1998 before spending three years as the head coach of the NFL's San Diego Chargers and 1 year as an assistant with the New Orleans Saints. Dennis Erickson took over and, in his first season, led the Beavers to their first bowl appearance since 1964. Erickson took Oregon State back to the postseason in 2000 and 2002 before leaving to become the head coach of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. Riley has continued the newfound bowl tradition with five wins in six appearances over the last seven seasons.

The Oregon State-TCU game will kickoff Saturday, September 4 at 7:45 p.m. (ET) and will be televised nationally on ESPN.